On Tuesday 4th April, Year 4 had a school trip to Planet Physics at the Hellenic Cosmos in Tavros, as part of their science curriculum this term. The children are studying the fascinating topic of States of Matter, learning all about how temperature changes affect the state of matter of a material. There were experiments with these changes and live demonstrations.

Learning isn't confined to the classroom at this school!
 

On Wednesday 5^th April, Year 3 had a sunny day out of school at the Cultural Park in Keratea. As part of their learning for History, the pupils visited the park and learned all about the past. They thoroughly enjoyed the warm weather and fascinating features of the park. The smiles show how much they enjoyed themselves.

Here at St Lawrence College, we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously. On 5^th April, with this aim in mind, Years 5 & 6 attended a cinematic presentation on the subjects of conservation and care for the planet at Cinemax in Kifissia. What child doesn't enjoy a trip to the cinema? Our pupils were enthralled and educated by the whole experience.

On Thursday 6^th April, Year 2 visited the Pedopolis learning centre in Glyfada to learn about looking after the environment. The children took part in the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Replace Program, as part of their Science Unit on Materials this term. The outing was fun and packed with learning!

On Monday 30^th March, Year 2 took a fun-packed trip to Athens to the Museum of Illusions. This visit was a perfect accompaniment to their science unit of learning Light, which taught the children all about how we use the eyes, what we actually see and what we think we see!

How the mind can be tricked by the eyes … or how the eyes can be tricked by the mind … is a fascinating thing for the children to experience and think about. Take a look at some of the amusing results!

On Friday 17^th March, Reception and Year 1 pupils visited Cinemax 1&2 to watch a selection of short animation movies. The movies were followed by engaging activities and discussions about the message of each film, allowing children to further understand them and freely share their ideas. They certainly had a great time!  

The robotics competition was a thrilling experience for our Year 8 group of students, who had spent countless hours designing and building their robot. They were determined to showcase their skills and compete against other teams from around Greece. The competition was fierce, but our students remained focused and worked together seamlessly to navigate their robot through the challenges. Their hard work paid off as they earned high scores and impressed the judges with their innovative designs. It was a truly rewarding experience for our students, who not only gained valuable knowledge and skills but also formed lasting friendships and memories that they will carry with them into the future. ”

On Monday 3^rd April, the annual running events for years 1 to 6 were held here at St Lawrence College Junior School. All children came excited to represent their respective houses - Attica, Epirus and Macedonia. Parents were in attendance, not only cheering on their children, but participating in the parents' races as well. They enjoyed themselves as much as the pupils for sure! The children relished a day in the sports field where they cheered for their team-mates and competed for the 40 or so medals being awarded to our young runners. 

Well done to all those who participated and thank you to everyone who came and helped create an electrifying atmosphere. 

On Tuesday 21^st March, the Early Years classes held a wonderful Pet Day with a friendly range of furry friends, and others too. The children’s experiences with animals were positive and productive, happening in a controlled, safe manner where both the children and the pets of families and friends that they met could enjoy the experience. Who knows if the goldfish were super excited, but the pups were certainly wagging their tails!

On Monday the 27^th of March St Lawrence College happily hosted the Annual 3 V 3 Basketball Tournament for the children of Year 5.  

Four schools took part (St. Lawrence College, St. Catherines, DES and Verita) with a total of 130 boys and girls! An incredible total of seventy seven mini matches took place. The success of the tournament could be seen on the smiles of all those participating and cheering from the stands. 

Well done to all the pupils for playing so keenly and displaying excellent sportsmanship in every match. A special thank you to all the parents and pupils who came along and cheered for their respective teams, helping to create a wonderful atmosphere. 

The pupils of Years 5 to 8 were treated to a hugely entertaining performance from a visiting choir on Thursday 23^rd March. The Yale Alley Cats may be their name, but they are anything other than wailing alley cats - they are an exceptionally talented acapella choir. Each of these accomplished of young men is currently studying at the prestigious Yale University in the USA, so clearly, they have more than one string to their bow. They are touring several cities and countries during their Spring Break, and we were lucky enough to have them visit us too. The pupils of St. Lawrence College sat in raptures listening to the wide range of songs and they were very entertained by humorous elements in the show as the choir added stand-up comedy to their list of merits.

Many thanks to The Yale Alley Cats (available on Spotify) for a most enjoyable experience here at school.

On Monday 20^th March, Year 5 visited the excellent science museum in Athens, Planet Physics. One word to describe our experience there: mind-blowing! Through a period of play, the children really got involved in fascinating scientific enquiry. Afterwards, there were demonstrations which focused more on the most recent topics in science: Magnetism and Sound. The children learnt about sound, how it travels, changes pitch and volume; they explored how magnets and magnetic fields create forces and how to create superconductors using liquid nitrogen. They recreated Galileo's famous gravity experiment of dropping different size spheres off the Tower of Pisa. It was all highly entertaining and as you can tell, the children's scientific curiosities were tantalised! 

On Saturday 11^th March the IA Silver group departed school for their final expedition. The 6:00am start meant there were many bleary eyes and sleepy faces, especially amongst the Year 11s who had only just finished their mock examinations. The promise of a weekend hiking as well as a rocky ferry journey rapidly increased everyone’s energy levels. Once we had arrived pupils finalised their routes and had them checked, and then embarked on the day’s hike from Tinos town to Volax.  The pupils battled high wind speeds and variable weather as the steep slopes tested their fitness and navigation skills, especially the ascent up to Exomvourgo. However, on arrival to the camp the weather settled and pupils were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the boulder fields of Volax (see photo!). The next day involved returning to Tinos town via a different route, with the charming Cycladic-style villages of Falatados, Mountados, and Karia all taken in as well as stunning panoramic views of Mykonos, Delos, and Syros in the distance. Well done to everyone involved for such a mature and diligent attitude!

Make sure you watch the video!

Lights, Camera, Action!

 On Monday 20^th February, Year 3 & 4 pupils visited Cinemax 1&2 in Kifissia to view a selection of short films; an important part of the Athens International Children’s Film Festival. This educational initiative was promoting film and media literacy, making films accessible to young people and allowing them to analyse and critically engage with the media. After the thought-provoking screenings, an open discussion allowed our pupils to share their ideas. What an interesting and enjoyable school day with a difference!

On Thursday 23^rd February, Year 2 headed off to the House of Ceramic Art in Maroussi, Attiki for a spot of culture and learning. The children participated in an artistic day, making ceramics themselves using a potter's spinning wheel which was great fun. The results ranged from round and smooth to wobbly and wonky, but all the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the process and the feel of wet clay between their fingers. An excellent day out!